Usually, watches are displayed statically in the retailer window display and are oriented so that the dial is visible to potential customers. This is disadvantageous if the watch has a transparent back cover which allows all or part of the watch movement to be seen, in particular when the watch has a self-winding mechanism using an oscillating weight. Indeed, as the back cover is located at the back of the watch, it remains invisible to the passer-by.
One solution to this problem consists in displaying two identical watches side by side, one with the dial side showing and the other with the back cover side showing. However, this solution requires sufficient space to be available in the window display and is difficult to apply to each watch model displayed.
Another solution consists in using a set of mirrors to reveal the back side of the watch to passers by. However, this requires arranging the watch in a very precise manner relative to the mirrors, which is time consuming and tedious. Moreover, depending upon the position of the potential customer relative to the watch and the direction in which he is looking, optical deformation effects may occur. In some assemblies, the potential purchaser may not even be able to see the image reflected by the mirrors at all.